


A Town by The Sea.

by mxrphvs (ssulrealism)



Series: Happy Birthday The8! [4]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Implied Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 14:04:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12533224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssulrealism/pseuds/mxrphvs
Summary: Minghao washes ashore, and the whole town is abuzz.





	A Town by The Sea.

**Author's Note:**

> 10 days till The8's birthday! 
> 
> Posting this early today c: This is a personal favorite of mine.

****Jun is thirteen when Minghao arrives.

 

He’s all sea foam and awkwardness as the sea washes him to shore. The old fishermen gawk at him; the sea has just gifted them a small child. Minghao doesn’t have an age, he just exists. The day before he didn’t, but now he does. Jun finds it odd that no questions are asked, the town takes him in with open arms. When he first arrives he never speaks, instead he takes things in. Like a sponge, he soaks up mannerisms, emotions, language. 

 

It’s not until Jun is fifteen that they finally meet. Though their town is small, a place where everyone knows everyone— he’s only heard rumors and caught faint glimpses. Hushed voices filter through the thin doors of his school as he walks the halls; even two years after he’s arrived, Minghao is still all anyone ever talks about. So when he first lays eyes on the famed boy from the sea, he’s disappointed. He’s gangly and awkward, his eyes are too big, his face too small, his ears are weird and pointy— unlike anything he’s ever seen. The boy is shy, never making eye contact, as Jun’s mother warmly states that if he wants, he can stay for dinner. Despite the initial disappointment, enthusiasm spreads in Jun’s chest when Minghao quietly accepts. 

 

Minghao has moved in next door. Thats the information Jun gathers from the dinner; after a few years of bouncing from home-to-home, depending on others and their kindness, Minghao has found a job as an apprentice. He’s now living with the baker. Jun can’t help but question his motives, the baker has never been known to be a kind man. He decides, when the dinner is done and his parents are waving goodbye— a gesture Minghao can’t return, his arms filled with leftovers and small jars of homemade preserves that Jun’s mom had insisted he take— Jun decides that it’s none of his business. Maybe the baker took a shine to Minghao. Who wouldn’t? It only took one dinner for Jun to understand why the whole town fawns over Minghao. His large eyes are expressive, the tone in which he talks is unique and his pointed ears are charming. Not weird. 

 

It’s the middle of summer when they meet again. Jun is trying to sneak a cigarette in before he returns home from work, he just happens to stop at the same spot where Minghao is out, enjoying the sun. They’re dangling off a sharp cliff, on the edge of town, where sea and land suddenly meet. There’s not much on this side of the earth, which is why Jun likes it. He makes sure to stomp on the remnants of his cigarette before joining Minghao. The other doesn’t talk to him much, he’s too busy basking in the sunlight that is beating down on them. Which leaves Jun to ponder his many scrapes and bruises. He has small cuts on his fingers and a nasty grayish-purple mark that glares at Jun. When he is questioned on them Minghao utters his first words to Jun. 

 

“He has a temper.” 

 

Those four words mark Jun for the months to come, and he finds himself becoming protective over the other boy. It’s almost marked a year since they first met and Jun’s bedroom has become Minghao’s safe haven. The place he can come to when he feels most helpless. Jun is the one who cleans his wounds, promising he won’t speak a word. “I can handle it.” Is the second sentence Minghao speaks to Jun, and his heart breaks into little pieces. At first, Jun’s parents would provide meals for Minghao but now Jun has taken it upon himself to make sure Minghao eats properly. Seafood soup with potatoes, his favorite. Minghao is the first person Jun sees most mornings, and most nights he’s the last thing he sees. Once, words were scarce between the two of them but now they’re confidants for one another. Secret-keepers. 

 

Jun has just turned seventeen when the rest of the town comes to their senses. The baker had gone too far, the gash on Minghao’s left arm too deep to hide. The townspeople run him out of town, as Jun watches his schoolmates encompass Minghao, teary-eyed and telling him that he should’ve let them know sooner. It’s only when they’re alone that Minghao tells Jun the truth, he didn’t tell anyone because he felt it was what he deserved. Jun wants to know why— but the words get stuck in his throat and before he can get them out, Minghao is fast asleep. 

 

He is three days from turning eighteen when he finds out what Minghao means. The two of them are playing on the shore, jeans rolled up so they don’t get wet as they wade in the cool water. The sun is going down, and in this moment Jun feels like nothing has ever been more perfect in his life. 

 

“Don’t you miss it?” 

 

Moments pass by before Jun realizes Minghao had been talking to him. He doesn’t get a chance to respond as Minghao stretches out a hand for him to take. Jun has touched Minghao a countless number of times, but this time is different. With the sea lapping at their feet when they touch— its magical and suddenly an ocean of images is flooding Jun’s mind. Images from the darkest, deepest parts of the sea awaken and Jun is at a loss for words once again, his breath taken away. He searches for something— someone he recognizes— and then he sees him, Minghao. 

 

Amongst the bubbles, the ripples and endless amount of fish, Jun can see Minghao as he is meant to be. He feels the happiest he’s ever felt, like he’s made entirely of air and could float to the surface, but it ends just as fast as it had come. A boat appears, a shadow looming from above. He’s ripped apart, caught in a net and his screams and cries mean nothing as he’s taken away. 

 

The roar of the ocean anchors Jun back to reality, as he, panic-stricken searches for Minghao who comes into focus and assures his lover that he’s still with him. Minghao looks at him once again, their eyes connecting and Jun has never realized how beautiful and clear his eyes are. 

 

“Don’t you miss it?” 

“Yes.” 

 

The tide begins to draw in and Jun finds himself being pulled farther and farther away from the shore by Minghao. His new memories begin to fade away, his past coming to light. With every step he remembers more and more, the moment he had really met Minghao for the first time. The moment of elation when they realized they were soulmates. The water is waist deep when Minghao stops them, asking Jun to close his eyes tight. Jun obeys without question. He can feel Minghao press a soft kiss against his lips and when he opens his eyes again there is no down, and the moon’s light is distorted by ripples. 

 

The townspeople awaken the next day with no memory of Jun or Minghao.  The older fishermen who sit on the rocks, swapping old tales from the sea like to talk, about the mermaids that are said to pass by.


End file.
